Time Changes
by FlyWithDamagedWings
Summary: A two-part AkuRoku oneshot. Roxas and Axel are in high school and have made new friends. And though they've grown apart, Axel still considers Roxas a friend while Roxas wants nothing to do with Axel. After all, time changes people. But can Axel change Roxas's mind? *P.S. I tried to make the two parts as different as possible, haha* - Cover Image by illbewaiting on deviantArt
1. Part One: Roxas's Point of View

It was the last period of another normal school day and I was eagerly waiting for the last bell to ring. And though I knew that staring at the clock didn't make it tick any faster, I still couldn't help but to stare at it. Then finally, the clock struck two. I jumped out of my seat as soon as the bell went off and I rushed out of the classroom.

I wanted to get home as quickly as possible today. My cousin Sora was visiting and I wanted to change out of my school uniform before he arrived.

But of course, that was far too much to ask for.

"Hey fag!" a male voice called to me as I started down the street and away from the school.

And as much as I wanted to ignore the name, I couldn't.

"What?" I called back, turning to face my bullies.

Like I had said; a normal school day.

"Hey, don't use that tone with us," Marluxia replied. He snickered, along with his little clique: Larxene, Zexion, Saïx, and Demyx.

"What tone?" I asked in reply.

"You're giving us attitude," Larxene pointed out.

"We don't like that," Saïx added.

"Look, for once can you guys just leave me alone?"

Demyx laughed. "You wish!"

"We have a special something for you today," Zexion told me with a smirk.

And the next thing I knew, I was on the ground, having doubled over with pain when Marluxia punched me hard in the gut, followed by a swift kick. And all they did was walk away laughing.

As I lay there, catching my breath, I soon saw a pair of legs appear in front of me. I glanced up to discover who they belonged to. And to my misfortune, they belonged to a certain cocky redhead.

"You're a little late," I spoke up. I coughed a bit. "Your friends have already tormented me."

"You're my friend, too, Roxas."

"Just because you're not around when they torment me, doesn't make you my friend. If you were really still my friend, Axel, you wouldn't allow them to torment me."

He sighed and knelt down beside me. "Here, let me help you." He gently took me by the elbows and lifted me back to my feet. Then he picked up the few things I had dropped. "I believe these are yours."

"Why are you helping me?" I asked, forcefully taking my things out of his hands.

"Because I don't see anyone else helping you."

"I can help myself."

"Yeah, sure you can, Rox." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

I shot him a glare. "Like I said before, I don't see you trying to stop your so-called friends." I sighed. "Why do you even hang out with them?"

He shrugged. "People make new friends in high school."

"And they lose old friends, too." I turned to walk away.

"Hold on." He jumped in front of me. "I still wanna be your friend."

"Well, that's a damn shame because there's no way in hell I'm gonna continue to be your friend when you hang out with those douchebags." I now started to walk away.

"Then I'll stop hanging out with them."

I froze and turned on my heel to face him again. "What? Why?" I honestly couldn't believe he had said that; I didn't understand it

He shrugged. "Because I would do anything for you."

Now I just stood there, gaping at the redhead. His green eyes were on the ground, avoiding my blue eyes. Then I shook my head and rolled my eyes, snapping out of my little trance. "That's such bullshit."

But before I could even think about getting away, Axel grabbed my hand, pulled me into him and he kissed me. I quickly pushed him off of me, though.

"What the hell was that for?" I exclaimed. "You can't just kiss me and expect everything to instantly get better!" I went on before he even got the chance to respond. "That isn't gonna change a damn thing! And if you actually believed that that would just magically make all my problems vanish then you're a frigging moron! Kissing me doesn't change how I feel about you!"

"So are you saying you hate me?" he checked.

I paused at this because, as much as I wanted to, I couldn't say that I hated him. "Why are you doing this?" I asked instead. "Is this part of some impractical joke?"

"No, that's not what this is about at all."

"But…you can't…"

"I can't what?"

"You can't like me in that way."

"And why not?"

"Because your friends don't tolerate…" I swallowed hard, "…fags like me."

"Shut up. Don't use that word," he responded. "Roxas, I don't give two shits what everyone else thinks. Everyone else isn't you and me; they have nothing to do with us. And right now, you and I are the only ones who matter."

A smile twitched across my face, but fell away just as quickly. "Why now?"

He sighed. "I know. You've endured a lot since you first came out and I'm sorry it took me so long to realise—"

"Why did you start hanging out with Marluxia and them?" he asked, not letting him finish. That previous comment hadn't actually answered my question, but I decided to just let it slide for now.

"I guess it's because…when I first entered high school, reputation mattered to me." He paused. "But it doesn't anymore."

My voice softened. "How can I believe you?"

So much has happened since we had entered high school and it was as if Axel had just left me behind. And now it was like he was expecting me to forgive him just because he had kissed me. It wasn't going to work like that, though. It wasn't going to be that simple. It couldn't be.

"Roxas." He chuckled a bit, taking my face in his hands. "I'm still me. I'm still the same Axel you grew up with." He paused again. "Got it memorised?"

Now I laughed, too, which I hated. But I couldn't help it. There was something about him that could always bring me back to him.

"Yeah, I got it memorised," I then confirmed. "What are you gonna tell the others, though?"

"I've already dealt with them."

My face scrunched in confusion. "Huh? When?"

"It doesn't even matter. All that matters is—"

"—you and me," I finished for him. "I know."

"And you better not forget it." He kissed me again.

I kissed him back this time and smiled when we broke apart. "I won't.

He smiled back. "And I can't."


	2. Part Two: Axel's Point of View

I had been waiting on the secret path that my friends and I had made just for us. School had gotten out almost ten minutes ago, but they still hadn't shown up. Then finally, I heard laughter and a kind of jeering. I stepped into view to meet them. "What took you guys so long?" I questioned.

"Sorry Ax, we got a bit sidetracked," Demyx answered.

"With what?"

"A certain blonde fag," Saïx informed me.

"It's a shame you weren't there to see it," Zexion said.

"Yeah, Marly sent him a huge blow to the gut!" Larxene exclaimed. She laughed. "It was great."

"You're talking about Roxas, right?" I checked.

"Who else?" Marluxia asked in reply.

I sighed. "You guys gotta stop tormenting him."

Larxene stopped laughing at this. "You're kidding, right?"

"No. I'm not."

"C'mon Ax, it's all in good fun," Demyx claimed.

"Yeah, it's fun for you, which is pretty messed up to be totally honest."

"Oh, I bet the fag enjoys it, too," Saïx thought aloud.

"Stop calling him that."

"Hey, what's your problem?" Zexion wondered.

"You guys are." I sighed. "I'm sick of the way you treat my friend."

"Since when is he your friend?" Marluxia questioned.

"He's always been my friend."

"No. When you got to high school, you became our friend."

"Now, now, Marly, I see what's going on here," Larxene declared, smirking. "Axel's a fag, too."

I only rolled my eyes at her. "Whatever." I started to walk away from them.

"Where are you going?" Marluxia called after me.

I didn't reply; I just kept walking. Then I came across a small person lying on the ground with a head of dirty blonde spikes. I stepped in front of him. After a moment, those blue eyes scaled up to my face.

"You're a little late," he spoke up. He coughed a bit. "Your friends have already tormented me."

"You're my friend, too, Roxas."

"Just because you're not around when they torment me, doesn't make you my friend. If you were really still my friend, Axel, you wouldn't allow them to torment me."

I sighed again and knelt down beside him. "Here, let me help you." I gently took him by the elbows and lifted him back to his feet. Then I picked up the few things he had dropped. "I believe these are yours."

"Why are you helping me?" Roxas asked, forcefully taking his things out of my hands.

"Because I don't see anyone else helping you."

"I can help myself."

"Yeah, sure you can, Rox." There was a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

He shot me a glare. "Like I said before, I don't see you trying to stop your so-called friends." He sighed. "Why do you even hang out with them?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "People make new friends in high school."

"And they lose old friends, too." He turned to walk away.

"Hold on." I jumped in front of him. "I still wanna be your friend."

"Well, that's a damn shame because there's no way in hell I'm gonna continue to be your friend when you hang out with those douchebags." He now started to walk away.

"Then I'll stop hanging out with them."

He froze and slowly turned to face me again. "What? Why?"

Once again, I shrugged. "Because I would do anything for you."

The gaze of my green eyes had fallen to the ground at this point, but I could feel Roxas's blue eyes on me. They were searching for a sincere answer, too. And it almost killed me to know that he didn't believe me.

"That's such bullshit," he declared, confirming that he really didn't believe a word I had said.

Then I noticed that he was about to make a run for it. So I grabbed his hand, pulled him into me and I kissed him. Soon after, he pushed me away.

"What the hell was that for?" he exclaimed. "You can't just kiss me and expect everything to instantly get better!" he went on before I even got the chance to open my mouth. "That isn't gonna change a damn thing! And if you actually believed that that would just magically make all my problems vanish then you're a frigging moron! Kissing me doesn't change how I feel about you!"

"So are you saying you hate me?" I checked in clarification, hoping I wouldn't receive the answer I was in fact expecting.

He only paused. "Why are you doing this? Is this part of some impractical joke?"

"No, that's not what this is about at all," I denied, hoping he would finally start to see the truth in my words. I knew firsthand how thickheaded this blonde could be, though.

"But…you can't…"

"I can't what?" I was trying hard not to sound so exasperated.

"You can't like me in that way."

"And why not?"

"Because your friends don't tolerate…" he swallowed hard, "…fags like me."

"Shut up. Don't use that word," I responded. "Roxas, I don't give two shits what everyone else thinks. Everyone else isn't you and me; they have nothing to do with us. And right now, you and I are the only ones who matter."

And for a split second I could've sworn I saw his lips curl into a smile.

"Why now?" he wondered.

I let out yet another sigh. "I know. You've endured a lot since you first came out and I'm sorry it took me so long to realise—"

"Why did you start hanging out with Marluxia and them?" he cut me off.

"I guess it's because…when I first entered high school, reputation mattered to me." I stopped, thinking if that had been a smart thing to say or not. "But it doesn't anymore," I then added.

There was a pause. "How can I believe you?" His voice was soft now.

"Roxas." I chuckled a bit, taking his face in my hands. "I'm still me. I'm still the same Axel you grew up with." I paused again. "Got it memorised?"

Now he finally laughed as well. "Yeah, I got it memorised." He thought for a moment. "What are you gonna tell the others, though?"

"I've already dealt with them."

A confused look popped onto his face. "Huh? When?"

"It doesn't even matter. All that matters is—"

"—you and me," he finished for me. "I know."

"And you better not forget it." I kissed him again.

Roxas kissed me back this time and smiled when we broke apart. "I won't.

I smiled back. "And I can't."


End file.
